I am buying an android tablet as an x-mas gift. I have 300 dollars to spend. There is no one better to ask then the awesome people at XDA!
I saw best buy has the toshiba thrive for 299$ on black friday but the chances of me getting it are slim to none.
I would like to know the best online deals for the best tablet possible or if it is exceptional a in store price. (staples, best buy, frys).
I have been looking around but i dont really know whats what! thanks ahead of time!
The Kindle Fire, it's now rooted and soon there will be custom ROMS, it has very good intergration with Amazon's marketplace and you get free stuff when you get it. GAPPS are also availible at this moment so you can simply download a launcher if you dont like the Built in version of Android.
The kindle fire would be great but the person i am giving it to is not much of a techie. She wouldnt be able to keep up with updating the rom and so on. +she really wants a front facing camera so she can video chat.
Then the Toshiba Thrive is a great option for her. It has a 2MP front facing (Better than any front facing camera out now) and all the slots/ports on it makes it amazing: Full sized usb, sd and HDMI with Micro USB and Headphone Jack. Honeycomb is very user friendly as well.
Why didn't you just search Amazon Shopping for it?
Also on Black Friday you can pick up a Transformer for $250
Dark lord me said:
Also on Black Friday you can pick up a Transformer for $250
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the toshiba thrive is best buy and theres already people camping out in front of the store so my chances of getting one are slim to none.
anyone know if amazon.com or walmart.com are having any good deals?
and where is the transformer 250$ at?
bump x10 characters
How goes the HP Touchpad stack up?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
yep' Kindle Fire seems to be a good deal atm
I eyed the kindle fire and thrive for a while but I decided it's worth saving a bit more for the premium of the transformer prime when it comes out in a couple days.
If you can't wait and you need to stick to that budget, I'd go for a kindle fire.
Shes a must for a camera. She has no way to take photos and that was a huge deal for her.
kindle fire has to camera front or back. The hp touch pad is a fantastic device great price point and an awesome amount of storage but i am an android fanboy and i will only purchase a google product. webos just wont cut it IMO.
I would personally recommend the asus transformer which i just got about a month and a half ago.
I was not really sure either. I ended up getting the xoom at first only to return it within a few days. The screen was and is a real letdown with the xoom when it comes to movies and photos. Really washed out poor colors and contrast.
Now the transformer is awesome in more or less every way. Check out the many glowing reviews online to see for yourself. I choose it over its closest rival the galaxy tab 10.1 for one reason. They are more or less identical specs wise. But the transformer has SD memory extension which is priceless almost.
The screen is absolutely gorgeous on the transformer. Overall performance is all around fantastic also.
On a side note..i was waiting for either one of samsungs 7.7 or 7.0 plus tablets but they never came on this side of the waters so far. I was convinced a 7 inch tab was for me but ive been very happy with the 10.1 inch form factor.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Oh and the transformer has a very good 5mp back camera and 1 mp front camera also. .
And the laptop dock which you can buy separately also turns it into a very useful and functional laptop form factor...its not a necessity but its a nice option to have.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
This is just a suggestion but you can get a rooted gtablet in excellent condition withbox paperwork and all on ebay for around $200.00.I own one which was my first tablet as well and you can not get a more well rounded tablet for the price in my opinion,and I did say my opinion,I am sure I am about to stir it up.lol.the one I got looked like it comefrom the factory,so it will not look used,and just take a look at the info on it,oh,I tookalook and there is several on ebay that will come like new,there is one with the factory screen protector still on it and says,never used only opened to root.anyway,I amnonody to listen too but I do speak from the great experience that I am having with mine.I hope you find some good deals,whatever approach you take. Good luck.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB using xda premium
Try to buy good one..
Because some issues is going on about tablets.....try to be aware on that.......
Got my answer, please delete this thread!
I know this was asked before, checked the old threads. I couldn't quite find the answers I was looking for.
I live in Brazil. Here, both the A500 and the TF101 sells for ~US$ 650. The TF101 dock goes for another US$ 200. So, the dock is out of the plan. Similar powered tablets like Motorola Xoom or GT 10.1 goes for US$ 750 - 900, in current exchange rates.
I tested the Xoom and disliked it. I found it less responsive than my xperia play.
I like connections, so apple is out of the picture as well.
With that in mind, regarding the A500/TF101, as of today:
- Can any of them charge through the USB?
- Is the USB host on the A500 powered? Can I plug a usb hub on it?
- Regarding custom ROMs, is the TF really much better?
- Root, BL, is it really easier on TF?
So, I know that TF + Dock is better than A500, but without it, is the TF still superior? I am about to fork $650 on one, So I thought it was better to double check.
Tf101 is a great tablets its fast amd easy and big youtube video is awsome hdmi is awesome dont got the dock yet cant say not nothing bout it
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Anyone else thinking of buying the TF201 Dock instead of the new one? I am considering it; cheaper and longer battery.
wpbear said:
Anyone else thinking of buying the TF201 Dock instead of the new one? I am considering it; cheaper and longer battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to this site: http://eee.asus.com/en/eeepad/transformer-infinity/specification/Default.htm
And I quote: "* The Transformer Pad Infinity mobile dock is compatible with Eee Pad Transformer Prime. (The Eee Pad Transformer Prime mobile dock is NOT compatible with Transformer Pad Infinity)"
I know many people have stated otherwise, and if I remember correctly engadget even tried it out. But the official site clearly states that the prime dock will not work on the infinity.
Very interesting, I read the same that Engadget TF201 Dock works.....we need some real testers then.
I can confirm the dock for the TF201 works perfectly with my TF700T
But... the colors are not quite the same... I have a grey TF700T and the grey of the TF201 dock is a lot darker and purple than the tablet
I can also confirm. I bought a dockless TF700 and a TF201 dock, they worked together flawlessly form the start.
The brack.ch site markets the dock as "ASUS EEE PAD Transformer TF201/TF700 Dockingstation"
marder said:
I can also confirm. I bought a dockless TF700 and a TF201 dock, they worked together flawlessly form the start.
The brack.ch site markets the dock as "ASUS EEE PAD Transformer TF201/TF700 Dockingstation"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is the color?
Every review/unboxing video ive seen on youtube had a prime dock. And as you might know that stuff gets sent to them by Asus themselves. So I'd take that compatibility-sentence on their homepage with a grain of salt. Thats basically them trying to make even more money off the uninformed people (which is like 85% of the customers).
If I didnt already preorder the whole package (dock/tablet) i would have bought the prime dock. I might even sell my infinity dock and get the prime one if it really gives more battery and the colour aint significantly different from the tablet.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using xda app-developers app
Another thing I just saw now... the tablet and the dock don't fit perfectly. There is a gap like 2-3mm where the tablet is more to the front
Pics to explain :
Front : http://bayimg.com/NAPpiAadF
Back : http://bayimg.com/NAPpNaADF
Color difference between the dock (bottom) and tablet (top) : http://bayimg.com/oaPpAAaDF
It seems some early adopters are getting the Infinity bundled with the old Keyboard. I saw a picture in the post above and the prime keyboard doesn´t sit too well on the infinity when closed/clapped together.
Can someone who bought both tablet and dock confirm if this is true?
naira1 said:
It seems some early adopters are getting the Infinity bundled with the old Keyboard. I saw a picture in the post above and the prime keyboard doesn´t sit too well on the infinity when closed/clapped together.
Can someone who bought both tablet and dock confirm if this is true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got mine today and can confirm it.
My TF700T came with a TF201 Dock (bundled that way by Asus, I guess).
After looking at that picture above I saw that my combination also shows that small gap, but Its such a minor difference that my guess is that it's meant that way.
I think the real infinity dock might show that gap too because it fits perfectly on any other part. The gap seems to come from the rubber spacer left and right of the keyboard.
But who cares for these minor differences? Personally I'd prefere the old Dock because the battery is stronger and all other specs are excactly the same. **
** comparing the specs at Asus' website it seems the new dock will be 1cm thinner but 20g heavier AND has the smaller battery, so I concider myself lucky to get the old one
Question to the ones who have the dock already: Do you find yourselves using the dock a lot other than for the apparent reasons such as battery life and USB port?
The reason I'm asking is that I'm thinking of buying the dock, but I'm a bit unsure wether this is a "need" or a "want". I get that if you're a writer/columnist, a keyboard dock is great, but it'd be nice to get some personal opinions from others on wether the dock turned out to be a "must have" in everyday use or if it's really just an appendage to get more battery life so to speak.
terjeofnorway said:
Question to the ones who have the dock already: Do you find yourselves using the dock a lot other than for the apparent reasons such as battery life and USB port?
The reason I'm asking is that I'm thinking of buying the dock, but I'm a bit unsure wether this is a "need" or a "want". I get that if you're a writer/columnist, a keyboard dock is great, but it'd be nice to get some personal opinions from others on wether the dock turned out to be a "must have" in everyday use or if it's really just an appendage to get more battery life so to speak.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's really nice as an extra charger while on the run. Plus a full USB port and a full SD card slot are a great addition when moving larger amounts of data. But what makes in more like a laptop is the keyboard itself. I wouldn't be excited with the Infinity so much if not for the keyboard (the HD screen itself is great for sure, but still...). Touch screen is fun, but writting longer texts on it is pain for me (especially as it's not 100% responsive while typing fast, which I'm used to), I need a real keyboard, and the 93% keyboard is really fine (the right shift could be bigger, but hey... it's 10" and it's pretty easy to get accustomed!). On the other hand, I'll try to play with some non-standard keyboards during this weekend (the GO Keyboard was OK, but unfortunately not compatible with the dock) - on my list are LogiType, FloatNSplit, Thumb, SlideIT, Smart, Swiftkey and TouchPal keyboards, so a lot of testing to do...
BTW, I've just bought some cheap stylus (~3 EUR) to test the whole idea and it's great!
d14b0ll0s said:
It's really nice as an extra charger while on the run. Plus a full USB port and a full SD card slot are a great addition when moving larger amounts of data. But what makes in more like a laptop is the keyboard itself. I wouldn't be excited with the Infinity so much if not for the keyboard (the HD screen itself is great for sure, but still...). Touch screen is fun, but writting longer texts on it is pain for me (especially as it's not 100% responsive while typing fast, which I'm used to), I need a real keyboard, and the 93% keyboard is really fine (the right shift could be bigger, but hey... it's 10" and it's pretty easy to get accustomed!). On the other hand, I'll try to play with some non-standard keyboards during this weekend (the GO Keyboard was OK, but unfortunately not compatible with the dock) - on my list are LogiType, FloatNSplit, Thumb, SlideIT, Smart, Swiftkey and TouchPal keyboards, so a lot of testing to do...
BTW, I've just bought some cheap stylus (~3 EUR) to test the whole idea and it's great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it seems that the dock will be a little different to get used to in terms of keyboard, but the quality is pretty good?
I'm planning on taking notes on this thing as a replacement for the dismal battery performance on my laptop, and the fact that it's lighter, thinner, and I can use a stylus to take notes as well.
KilerG said:
So it seems that the dock will be a little different to get used to in terms of keyboard, but the quality is pretty good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, the quality is good, but it is not that much different than getting used to any netbook / small laptop keyboard. I am using the TF201 docking station, as this was the one I got bundled with TF700, BTW, but I believe it is not that much different from the upcoming "TF700 dedicated keyboard".
I'm planning on taking notes on this thing as a replacement for the dismal battery performance on my laptop, and the fact that it's lighter, thinner, and I can use a stylus to take notes as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, and SuperNote is way more fun than typing!
I only don't like Polaris Office, I will be using either the free Kingsoft office suite (which is really great) or - if I decide to spend some more money - OfficeSuite Pro 6, which seems the most convenient for me so far. You should definitely give it a try if you want the Infinity to work as a replacement for your laptop.
d14b0ll0s said:
Sure, the quality is good, but it is not that much different than getting used to any netbook / small laptop keyboard. I am using the TF201 docking station, as this was the one I got bundled with TF700, BTW, but I believe it is not that much different from the upcoming "TF700 dedicated keyboard".
Sure, and SuperNote is way more fun than typing!
I only don't like Polaris Office, I will be using either the free Kingsoft office suite (which is really great) or - if I decide to spend some more money - OfficeSuite Pro 6, which seems the most convenient for me so far. You should definitely give it a try if you want the Infinity to work as a replacement for your laptop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I have a couple office applications already. Is SuperNote the bundled application with the tablet? I type much faster than I write, so I'm planning on just using the stylus for notes that I can't type (i.e. Math). Luckily for me, this semester I don't have a math class though....a lot of critical thinking classes like Philosophical Reasoning, Social Problems, and Beauty and Creativity. Stuff I'll need to take notes for of course, and this tablet will be incredibly helpful for doing that.
Now I have to figure out if buying the TF700 dock is the right idea, or buying the TF201 one is better.
KilerG said:
I think I have a couple office applications already. Is SuperNote the bundled application with the tablet? I type much faster than I write, so I'm planning on just using the stylus for notes that I can't type (i.e. Math). Luckily for me, this semester I don't have a math class though....a lot of critical thinking classes like Philosophical Reasoning, Social Problems, and Beauty and Creativity. Stuff I'll need to take notes for of course, and this tablet will be incredibly helpful for doing that.
Now I have to figure out if buying the TF700 dock is the right idea, or buying the TF201 one is better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really like your set of classes, although the Beauty thing feels pretty unnerving ;>
And yes, SuperNote is bundled, as well as many other apps. See some reviews on YouTube or on the tech websites, many of them mentioned it already.
I cannot help you with the docking options, as I only got to use the TF201 one. If I had an option to choose, I would prefer to lay my hands on both IRL. It's a very personal thing, so I don't think that the reviews can answer it for you.
When sliding my tablet into the (bundled prime-)dock, the lock only jumps back to the middle position and has to be manually moved to the right/lock-position. I have read that this may be an issue with defunct docks and that these should be returned. Is that true? Or are all old prime docks "affected", making a return superfluous?
So far, it doesn't bother me too much, but I just want to make sure everything works as planned.
Gruftikus said:
When sliding my tablet into the (bundled prime-)dock, the lock only jumps back to the middle position and has to be manually moved to the right/lock-position. I have read that this may be an issue with defunct docks and that these should be returned. Is that true? Or are all old prime docks "affected", making a return superfluous?
So far, it doesn't bother me too much, but I just want to make sure everything works as planned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's just the slight difference in size between the Prime and the Infinity. I've also observed this on my Prime dock + Infinity tablet bundle, sometime it clicks, sometime it's stuck half-way, but the tablet is docked normally, so it's only the lock/slider that has to be adjusted. For me certainly not a flaw which would justify returning it. But if you hope for a TF700 dock in return, you can try (possibly with more luck in a few weeks, when the latter is widely available?)
I've just bought a TF700 pad and it works fine with my TF201 docking station. I haven't noticed any inconsistency in colours or size (but then again, I'm not the kind of person for which that matters - as long as it works, it could be in Yellow and Green colours for all I care).
However, I have noticed one curious thing, that I would like some input on. I had bought a 64 Gb MicroSD card ( amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-microSDXC-Adapter-SDSDQUA-064G-U46A/dp/B007WTAJTO/ref=sr_1_4 ), and it works perfectly in my Asus Eed Pad Transformer Prime TF201 pad, but I am unable to make it work in the TF700 pad.
I have tried formatting it to FAT32, exFAT and NTFS with variying cluster sizes, and when I insert it into the TF700 pad, the "Preparing external storage" message flashes on the screen for a very brief instant, and then nothing - no card is available.
That surprised me quite a bit, as I expected the hardware support to be the same in the TF700 as in the TF201, but it seems like there is a different USB hardware part in the TF700 than in the TF201.
My 128 Gb SD Card ( amazon.com/Sandisk-Extreme-Memory-45MBps-Speeds/dp/B006ZH1WVS/ref=sr_1_1 ) in the docking station (formatted to FAT32) works with both pads connected (which was expected, as the hardware is the same in this instance).
Does anyone have success with a 64 Gb MicroSD card in the TF700 pad? If so, which one is it, and how is the card formatted?
HeartWare42 said:
Does anyone have success with a 64 Gb MicroSD card in the TF700 pad? If so, which one is it, and how is the card formatted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would also like to know this!
Hello guys
I am thinking of getting a Transformer Infinity and wanted to know a couple of things
1/ I cannot find a desktop charging dock (I want to use this on my bedside table to charge it and use the tablet as a bedside radio/clock) do you know where I can find one? (obviously I do not want a keyboard taking up space on my bedside table!)
2/ I read the MKV playback is fussy, here I quote the reviewer from Pocket-Lint:
"It's picky about the video it plays. Unlike our first-generation Galaxy Tab, it won't deal with MKV files, even if they contain MP4 video. It's crazy. So if your video isn't plain MP4, prepare for disappointment. There are apps in the market that will play this type of video, but they will use software to do it, and that means that you'll get quite stuttery rates - using software to decode video on a powerful platform like this is silly too: it will kill your battery and perform worse."
Is this true?
Thanks
Mark.
that review is inaccurate. MKV will play just fine. All you need to do is get BS Player. I play 1080p mkv movies all the time, with no issues. no lag, no stuttering. BS Player will play any format. It must have been that reviewers first android device. Btw, you dont need to to convert them.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
timrock said:
that review is inaccurate. MKV will play just fine. All you need to do is get BS Player. I play 1080p mkv movies all the time, with no issues. no lag, no stuttering. BS Player will play any format. It must have been that reviewers first android device. Btw, you dont need to to convert them.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good to know, thanks...
as far as a charging dock goes, do you know if there is any, I cant find one online...
tx
Mark.
Either BS or Dice (with additional codecs) should be fine for (big) mkv files, you can score out this one.
Unfortunately there are no desktop charging docks for any of the transformers, i know bc i have been looking for one. When they first showed off the transformer line at ces, i think, there was a prototype for one but thanks to greedy asus who would rather you buy the keyboard instead, it never saw the light of day. All we can do is hope for an aftermarket dock. There are some interesting diy docks out there, but i think we all want a well made dock that might extend the capabilities of it as well, such as usb connections, hdmi out, audio, and a sd card slot so you don't have to rewire the damn thing twice a day.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
lowki said:
Unfortunately there are no desktop charging docks for any of the transformers, i know bc i have been looking for one. When they first showed off the transformer line at ces, i think, there was a prototype for one but thanks to greedy asus who would rather you buy the keyboard instead, it never saw the light of day. All we can do is hope for an aftermarket dock. There are some interesting diy docks out there, but i think we all want a well made dock that might extend the capabilities of it as well, such as usb connections, hdmi out, audio, and a sd card slot so you don't have to rewire the damn thing twice a day.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha.
Its a pity, as I miss my HP touchpad's touchstone wireless charging dock, stood next to my bed, taking little space, and every night id pop the tablet on there. With Tune-In and Gentle Alarm, it made the best bedside radio clock I could ever want... but sold it as I wanted a "proper" Android tablet.
Thanks for the input.
Mark.